Newsletter Function

JamesBrown

Well-known member
This is looking good :) I have a few forums all working well on vb3.8 I tried vb4 and just did not like it. I will be watching this closely.

On one forum I have 13000 members and to get a newsletter out to them and stay on top of the list additions and deletions is a pain with so many workarounds. Any chance we could get newsletter opt in/out right there in xF. Or even better get one of the email solution companies like Aweber or similar to work with it. Thanks.
 
Upvote 34
I support the idea of a quality newsletter module to add to xenforo, allowing subscription for end-users and html option + auto online thread posting and an archive.
 
I support the idea of a quality newsletter module to add to xenforo, allowing subscription for end-users and html option + auto online thread posting and an archive.

The auto online thread posting? Lets see if I understand what you are saying.

There is an emailed newsletter to the members and the letter also appears in a thread as well?

I might be thinking wrong. Is this so those that are not subscribed will still have access to the information?
 
The Auto online posting archive is a good idea. Newsletters are a good way of generating income and bringing members back to the site. With VB we can't even get an html email sent to the members without a lot of hassle.
 
The auto online thread posting? Lets see if I understand what you are saying.

There is an emailed newsletter to the members and the letter also appears in a thread as well?

I might be thinking wrong. Is this so those that are not subscribed will still have access to the information?

When I publish a newsletter, I want an online version, like http://wetalknation.net/newsletters

Where the current one is showing off, the rest archived.

And the html (with a switch to plain text for users in their options) email has a link to the online version.
 
A newsletter option (even if it's a paid add-on that works perfectly) is a HUGE deal.

Newsletters are a tremendous way of keeping folks 'in the know' and coming back to the site. I routinely see an increase in active members of 10-20% just a day or two after sending a newsletter to my members.
 
I support the idea of a quality newsletter module to add to xenforo, allowing subscription for end-users and html option + auto online thread posting and an archive.

Mee too. I would love to see this here. Something I miss a lot on vB. I used Mailchimp integration and Vertical response but they did not work for me as I expected them to.
 
I'm totally onboard with this too, but there's a lot more to consider. You need to be able to specify % of the list to send to so you can test different formats etc, and you absolutely need to be able to track open rates to make the testing meaningful. We have 150,000 + members, so we'd also need a way to setup send rate per minute to avoid triggering spammer filters etc.

It's also very important to be able to keep track of bounced emails and scrub your list accordingly. As well as unsubscribe links, online versions, plain text as well as html versions etc.

Email marketing is kinda a whole arena in and of itself, you want to do some research and be careful, you don't want to get blacklisted as a spammer!
 
Heh.
Already commented on that thread ;).
Totally agree. I just wanted to put a word in so we didn't see a clamor for just a mass broadcast email newsletter system without any of the nuances that would make it successful. Mainly 'cause I REALLY want a good system to handle that (been looking at acajoom for awhile), and I'd be REALLY willing to drop cash for one. I have total faith in Mike/Kier's ability to research and put together a best of breed system, but they are only two people.

So far... Muahahaha!

Let the World Domination Plan Commence!
Starting with the XF release to gain funds to hire the creme de le creme of the forum dev world and begin to TAKE OVER THE WORLD! :: best Brain of Pinky and the Brain voice ::
 
I'm totally onboard with this too, but there's a lot more to consider. You need to be able to specify % of the list to send to so you can test different formats etc, and you absolutely need to be able to track open rates to make the testing meaningful. We have 150,000 + members, so we'd also need a way to setup send rate per minute to avoid triggering spammer filters etc.

It's also very important to be able to keep track of bounced emails and scrub your list accordingly. As well as unsubscribe links, online versions, plain text as well as html versions etc.

Email marketing is kinda a whole arena in and of itself, you want to do some research and be careful, you don't want to get blacklisted as a spammer!

That's why we chose Mailchimp as our newsletter system. We have been using emailing feature in VB ACP for ages without realizing what would happen to those email, who received, opened our emails, who bounced, etc

Once we learnt the things that make a successful newsletter, we will never go back to the stone-aged method of "blasting" away.

Your list is too big to handle yourself. Let an enterprise email management system like Mailchimp handle it.

Check it out. I'm sure you will love it.
 
That's why we chose Mailchimp as our newsletter system. We have been using emailing feature in VB ACP for ages without realizing what would happen to those email, who received, opened our emails, who bounced, etc

Once we learnt the things that make a successful newsletter, we will never go back to the stone-aged method of "blasting" away.

Your list is too big to handle yourself. Let an enterprise email management system like Mailchimp handle it.

Check it out. I'm sure you will love it.
:: nods ::

The thing about mailchimp (which has been one of our shortlist or providers BTW) is that it's an ongoing cost and that cost scales with the size of your email list. Acajoom provides much of the same functionality, but it's a one time cost, and that's hard to argue with. There's a real opportunity here for a comparable forum based system.

But that's the problem, there's a tremendous number of opportunities here, and each of them takes man hours to pursue.

Email Marketing.
Galleries.
Blogs.
Directories.
Affiliate systems (often associated with directories above).
Classifieds.
Reviews.

All of them are entire industries/profit streams in their own right. The problem is getting together the manpower to take advantage of the available opportunities...
I have to say though that XF has the BEST choice of toolset I've seen, and I have the highest hopes for it's success and growth... Now all they need is a HUGE cadre of awesome devs so they can take over the UGC arena! :)
 
Could not really find something to this, but will a news letter feature be available?

If not, that would be a great new feature to implement. Being able to create a news letter and have it sent out from within the forum admin module would be great.
 
I'm not an avid newsletter distributer myself but I would like the e-mails to comply with the spam filters that all major e-mail providers have.
 
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